What QB Sam Darnold reportedly told Seahawks about oblique injury ahead of NFC Championship heroics

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the run Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is enjoying during the ongoing postseason tournament is that he is playing with an oblique injury that he picked up during a practice on Jan. 15.

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Seahawks general manager John Schneider revealed that Darnold "hasn't flinched" over the past couple of weeks. 

Sam Darnold knew he'd "be good" despite injury

"I think we were all more panicked in what was going on than he was," Schneider said about how Darnold reacted to the setback, per ESPN's Brady Henderson. "He was kind of looking at us like we had three heads, like, 'What's everybody so worried about?' He's like, 'I'll be good.'"

Darnold didn't need to be a hero during Seattle's 41-6 thrashing of the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs back on Jan. 17. However, that wasn't the case during the NFC Championship Game versus the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 25. 

Against the Rams, Darnold passed for 346 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions en route to guiding the Seahawks to a 31-27 win and to the first Super Bowl trip of his career. Following the victory, Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald said that Darnold "barely practiced all week" leading up to the conference title clash. 

John Schneider gushes over what Sam Darnold has been able to achieve

"I haven't seen a lot of quarterbacks not throw a ball and then go out and play like that," Schneider added about Darnold during his comments. "And we've been blessed to be around some pretty good ones."

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list the Seahawks as 4.5-point favorites for their Super Bowl LX showdown with the New England Patriots on Feb. 8. New England quarterback Drake Maye is also banged up, as he is dealing with a sore shoulder after he landed on it during his club's victory over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 25. 

Just as with Darnold, Maye is expected to play in the Super Bowl barring an unforeseen setback.